Driving-gear for motor-vehicles.



N0.- 795,121. I `PATENTED AEG.1, 1905.

- E. T. HANSEN.

. DRIVING GEAR EUR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION TILBD NOV. 7,1904.

f. A r fr j UNITEDV STATES vPATENT OFFICE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1905.

Application led NOVGmbel 7, 1904. Serial No. 231,623.

To all whom. t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HANS THEODORE HAN- SEN, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Milwaukee. in the county of Milwaukee andState of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements:in Driving-Gear for Motor-Vehicles and the Like, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates tocertain improvements in driving-gear formotor-vehicles and the like; and its purpose is to produce a separableuniversal joint particularly adapted for use within the hub of a wheelfor thepurpose of affording a flexible connection between asteering-wheel and a driving-shaft journaled in the axle and at the sametime permitting the removal of the wheel from its bearings withoutreference to the vuniversal joint. While this is the particular problemthat has called forth this invention, it will become obvious in thecourse of the description that it is applicable to a large number ofanalogous uses varying somewhat in their specific requirements.

In the drawings, Figurel is a vertical longitudinal section through ahub and one end of an axle connected therewith. Fig. 2 is a horizontalsection at right angles to the plane of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a view ofcertain detached parts adjacent to the universal joint. Fig. 4 is aninner face viewof the two-part front plate of the hub. Fig. 5 is a faceview of the bearing-ring and axle-fork, partly broken out toillustratethe pivotal connection thereof; and Fig. 6 is a section in theline 6 6of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, A is a tubular axle, upon the end of which isa collar B.

the outer end of which is forked to provide two vdiverging arms b vTheouter ends of these arms are provided with oppositely-extending pins CC', and a bearingring D is pivoted upon these pins in a substantiallyvertical. line. The pivot-pins are of inverted frusto-conical form, asillustrated in Fig. l, and are surrounded by split bushings c and heldin place by blocks C2, screwed or other- Wise secured to the ring, asshown in Fig 6. In this way the weight up'on the axle is distributed tothe upper and lower portion of.

the bearing-ring. This bearing-ring isl provided with cones d, uponwhich run balls E, the opposite sides of which run upon cups f in thehub F. An arm d', rigid with the bearing-ring, provides means foroscillating said ring upon its vertical-axis.

Withinthe axle A is a bearing c, in which is journaled a driving-shaftG. The outer end of this driving-shaft is forked at g. (see Fig.l

3,) and a rectangular block'H is pivoted between the ends of the forksby means of a pin It, held against longitudinal movement in the block bymeans of a smaller pin it. (See Fig.y

2.) .A yoke I is formed with a rectangular notch c' in its centralportion fitting over the block H and with oppositely-extending gudgeonsc", projecting at right angles to the pin 7L. A two-part hub-cap J isprovided with inwardly-extending perforated arms j, which it over thegudgeons c, and also with ears j', which bolt together to make the platea substantially rigid structure and at the same timepermit it to bedivided for the purpose of inserting or removing the yoke I. The twoparthub cap or plate J is secured to the outer side of thehub by means ofscrews f2, and when thus secured the plate, together with the yoke I,are removed from the bearing with the wheel and may be replaced inengagement with the driving-axle without inconvenience.

It should be noticed 'that the pins or studs o f this universal jointwork in cylindrical bearings, so as to be supported on all sides, andthat in taking tlie bearing apartthe-two portions which are separatedfrom each other are portions which in the ordinary working of the jointhave no necessary relative movement.

The forks g of the driving-shaft are preferably slightly wider at theirends than the intermediate block H, so that the yoke I, which lits overthe block, ,also fits between the two arms. Because of this fact whenthe joint is assembled the block H and the yoke I work as if formed ofone piece.

I recognize that the particularly specific construction described rnaybe varied in many particulars without departing from my invention, andtherefore do not limit myself to the exact form, construction, orarrangement of the parts set forth, except as definitely pointed out inthe claims.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combinationwith an axle and a wheel mounted upon the end thereof and -constructedand arranged to oscillate thereon, of a driving-shaft, and auniversal-joint connection sesured to the end of the driving-shaft inline with the axis of oscillation of the wheel, said universal-jointconnection containing a portion made up of two parts which are readilyseparable in the direction in which the wheel is removed from itsbearings, but which have no necessary relative movement in the operationof the joint when the wheel is mounted upon said bearings, one of saidparts being pivoted to the driving-shaft and the other to the wheel,substantially as described.

2. The combination with adriving-shaft and a part driven thereby, of auniversal-joint connection between the shaft and said part, cornprisingan intermediate member pivoted, in axes at right angles to each other,to the driving-shaft, and to said part, said member being composed oftwo separable portions provided with means i'or maintaining them in thesame relative positions during the ordinary working of theuniversaljoint, one of said parts being pivoted to the driving-shaft and theother to the wheel, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a driving-shaft having a forked end, ofanon-circular block, pivoted between the forks of said end` a yoke 4fitting over said block and between said forks,

and provided with gudgeons at right angles to the pivotal axis betweenthe forks and the block, and a two-part driven member the respectiveportions of which have arms fitting respectively over said gudgeons andbeing provided with means for securing them rigidly together,substantially as described.

4. The combination with an axle and a driving-shaft, of a wheeljournaled to rotate about the center and to oscillate with respect tosaid axle, a fork upon the end of the driving-shaft having perforationsin its arms, a front plate for the hub, inwardly-extending arms thereon,and an intermediate two-part separable member, the respective parts ofwhich are pivoted to the shaft-arms, and the plate-arms respectively, inlines at right angles to each other, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a driving-shaft, an axle, a wheel mounted tooscillate upon the axle, and also to rotate thereon, a fork upon the endof the shaft, a non-circular block pivoted betweenthe arms of said fork,a yoke litted to said non-circular block and confined against lateralmovement bythe fork, gudgeons upon said yoke at right angles to theblock-pivot, and a two-part front plate for the hub, the respectiveportions of which have arms tittingover said gudgeons, substantially asdescribed.

6. The combination with an axle and adriving-shaft journaled therein, ofa fork upon the end of the axle, a bearing-ring pivoted upon said fork,a wheel liournaled upon said bearing-ring, afork upon the end of thedriving-shaft, a non-circular block between the arms of said fork, a pinextending through said block and said arms and secured againstlongitudinal movement in the block, a yoke iitting over said block andbetween the arms of the fork, gudgeons upon said yoke extendingoppositely therefrom at right angles to the pivotal axis between thefork and the block, a two-part front plate for the wheel, havinginwardly-extending arms pivoted upon said gudgeons and means forsecuring the two parts of said plate together, substantially asdescribed.

7. The combination with a driving-shaft and a wheel-hub driven thereby,of a universaljoint connection between the shaft and hub, a bearing-ringupon which the hub is journaled, an axle, and inverted frusto-conicalpivot-pins supported by the axle pivoted in the bearing-ring.

In witness whereof l have signed the above application for LettersPatent, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin,this 2d dayoil November, A. D. 1904-.

HANS THEODORE HANSEN.

Witnesses:

CHAs. B. PERRY, FRANK H. MORSE.

